Luggage carrier



Jan. 8 1924. 1,480,340

I l. BEcKwrrH LUGGAGE CARRIER Filed Jan. so', 1922 Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES LOUIS I. BECKWITH, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LUGGAGE CARRIER.

Application led January 30, 19252.r Serial No. 532,805.

To all lwiz-m t may con-cern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS I. BEcKwrrH, a

citizen ofthe United States of America, and

ftainer device consists of a lattice or lazy-vk resident of Boston (Dorchester), in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Luggage Carriers, of which the following is a specication. j

This invention relates to luggage carriers for automobiles and particularly to that type of device adapted to be detachably secured to the ruiming board of t-he automobile and so constructed as to permit of' its being folded into compacty form for storage.

Such carriers commonly comprise spaced supporting posts', having means for detachably securing them to the running board of the automobile, and an elongated fence like device extending between and supported by the posts, said device constituting a-retainer for baggage resting upon the running board and being frequently formed as an extensible lattice of lazy-tongs type. The end posts usually are provided with members which extend inwardly and transversely across the;

running board whereby to provide end closures for the luggage receiving space. These end closure members are preferably fixed to the posts and this necessitatesthe provision of connections between the posts and the extensible retainer device such as to permit the posts with their end members to .be

turned relatively to the retainer for folding such end membersI into parallelism with the retainer device for storage. If the retongs, special'connections between the 'latter and the posts are usually necessary in order l to permit of the collapse kof such lazy-tongs in folding the device. The connections heretofore devised for the above purposes. have not proven as satisfactory in practical-use as is desirable and the principal object of the present invention is to provide a supporting post having a strong and rigidend closure `member secured thereto, together with improved means whereby a front'wall or luggage retainer of lazy-tongs construc-` tion ymay be connected to such` post in 'a manner permitting of the ready unfolding yor collapse. of the device withoutpossibil-` ity of bindingl or cramping ofthe parts.

As usually devised, luggage carriers have no provision for preventing. Contact of the luggage with the running board or with the body of the vehicle and under ordinary road conditions the vibration of the luggage frequentlyl causes injury to the running board vor vehicle body to an extent such that many l persons hesitate to employ luggage carriers of this type. The present invention has 'for y a further object 'the provision of "1means'- whereby the protection of they runningboard and body fro-m such injuries may be facilitated.

-the supportingpost having the end closure member rigidly secured thereto', 'is provided With elements towhich the op'- posite ends of a hinge bar .are pivotally secured. These elements may take the form of outstanding brackets provided with l pins upon which angnlarly disposed end portions of the hinge barare journalled or if such end post be of circular cross section, the post itself may constitute the pintle of In carrying the above objectsinto effect the hinge, passing through journal openings y in the angularly bentend portions of fthe*- hinge bar. In whatever manner the post and bar be connected, the latter is provided with means for 1 'supporting the end portion of the lazy-tongs device. For this purposethe hinge bar is providedwith an elongated slot atone or both of its ends for. the reception" and guidance of pins projecting from the end members of the lazy-tongs device. l The'col lapse'and extension of the'latter is thuspros vided for while the interposition" 0f the hinge bar betweenthe lazy-tongs and post# serves not only to permit the folding of the end of. a post of-circular crossse'ction, to-

gether with suitable brace memberssecured Y' to such bracket and to the post'. f 'lhe'bracket' is preferably provided with openings for the reception of straps for securing theluggage 1 firml' l posed7 that the straps will extend between the luggage and the vehicle body and running board whereby to serve"asbuifermeans v,to lprevent injury to the latter. In lsome cases to give additional strength as well as toentongs may be of duplex constructionpr'o- `viding a much closer and hance vthe appearance of the device, th'elazyfmore rigid lattice in position, the openings being -sol dising pivotally connectedat points 38, 39 respectively, with the slats 26 and 27, and at points in the latter intermediate their point of connection withfeach other and the guide pins 24, 25. The slats 3,6 and 37 are pivotally connected at the point 40, such point lyin substantially in the line of connection of t e pins 24 and 25.` The arrangement of slats just described is continued from one end to the other of thestructure, thereby providing av close lattice of durable construction and of more pleasing appearance than that ordinarily employed.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 4 and 5 atmodified arrangement of parts is illustrated wherein the supporting post 41 is shown as formed of strap iron provided with a plurality of bracket members 42 secured thereto. These bracket members are preferably7 furnished with integral projections 44 which extend through openings in the post 41 and headed over as shown at 45. The hinge bar 46 is constructed similarly to the bar 21 previously referred to, having angularly arz ranged ears 47 provided with openings for the reception of pins 48 whereby such ears are pivotally secured to the respective brackets 42, 43. The hinge bar 46 is furnished with an elongated slot such as 49 at one or both ends, such slot herein being illustrated as being at the lower end only of the bar, and through such slotis passed a guide pin 50 projecting laterally from the slat 51 of the lazy-tongs device. The other end of slat 52 of such lazy-tongs device is pivotally 'connected to the slat 51 at the point 53 and has its free extremity pivotally secured at 54 to the hinge bar 46. If desired, of course, the end of the slat 52 may be slidably connected to the hinge bar 46 in the same manner as is the end of the slat 5l. The lower end of the post 41 is fixedly connected to the vertical portion 55 of a bracket having an upper arm 56 and a lower arm 57, such bracket being illustrated as formed from strap iron. The lower extremity of the post 41 may be bent as indicated at 5S to lie in contact with the lower arm 57 of the bracket and the parts 57 and 58 are furnished with aligned threaded openings for the reception of aclamping screw 59. A connecting member 60 is secured at 61 to the post 41, extending in a generally horizontal direction and then downwardly as shown at 62 for connection with the rear end of the bracket arm 56. The vertical brace member 64 may be employed for connecting the members 60 and 56.

In the operation of either of the forms of device above described, the end posts are firmly clamped to the running board with the end closure members carried thereby extending transversely across the width of the running board and defining the length of the space provided for the reception of the luggage. The lazy-tongs device which constitutes a retainer for preventing the luggage from falling outwardly over theedge of the running board is extended in accordance with the length of the space desired and in all positions of`extension of the device forms a secure retainer for-the luggage. The employment of intermediate supporting posts provides additional strength and rigidity when the lazy-tongs device is fully extended. When the device is to be removed for storage, it is merely 'necessary to loosen the clamping screws, whereupon the lazytongs may be collapsed and the end members comprising the bracket arms and the posts may be swung to lie in substantial parallelism with the collapsible retainer device.

If desirable theparts may be sol proportioned that when folded, the bracket arms of the end members lie immediately above the clamping device carried by the central post. Such clamping ,device may then be` brought into clamping engagement with the lower surface of such brackets whereby 4they are retained in folded position.

I claim:

1. A luggage carrier comprising an end post, a retainer device, a hinge bar arranged substantially parallel to the post, means for pivotally securing said bar to the post, and means for connecting the retainer device to said bar for movement relative to ther bar.

2. A luggage carrier including arunning board engaging arm having portions vfor spanning the running board, a clamp carried by one of said portions, the other of said portions being formed with an upwardly projecting rib andintegral socket, said rib having strap receiving apertures therein.

3. A luggage carrier comprising an end post, means for securing said post to the running board of an automobile, a hinge bar, means for pivotally connecting said bar and post comprising elements extending substantially at right angles to the length of the bar, said elements having journal openings therein, and a luggage retainer device having one end thereof secured to said bar. 4. A luggage carrier comprising a normally stationary end post, a hinge bar, means for pivotally connecting said post and bar comprising an outstanding ear adjacent to each end of said bar, said ears having journal openings therein, and a retaining device of lazy-tongs construction having one end thereof secured to said bar intermediate said ears.

5. A luggage carrier comprising a normally stationary end post, a hinge bar extending substantially parallel thereto, said bar having outstanding ears journalled to turn about the axis of said post, said bar having a longitudinal slot therein, a lazytongs device comprising intersecting and pivotally connected slats, and a pin project- -engagement with one of the respective slots.

7. A luggage carrier for automobilesfcomprising a .bracket having clamping :means at one of its ends forv securing it to the running board of an automobile, apost having its lower end secured to said bracket 'at a pointadjacent to said clamping means, a member having angularly disposediend portions, one of suchend portions being connected to the top lofthe -post and the other tothatend` ofthe bracket remote from vthe clamping means, a bar hingedly secured to the post, and a luggage retainer connected to said bar.

8; A luggage carrier for automobiles comprising a bracket having a clamping'device for securing it to the running board fof an automobile, said bracket having a socket opening adjacent to one end thereof, a post having .its loivervend lfixedly securedin said socket, a member extending substantially parallel 'to the postA and hingedly connected thereto, and a lazy-tongs device having one ofthe ends connected -to said member.

1 ,cedette 9; A luggagefcarrying device comprising f :a iront Wall or retainer, end members, means for clamping suchV device `to, a runningI boa-rd, and a` buii'fer lmembersecured to and connecting the end pieces whereby said bilder Will/extend fbetvveen the :car `and 4luggage positioned yWith-in such device. g

l0. A luggage carrier comprising vattachnecting the .post-s, said double lattice lazy tong having terminal centra'l'apivot members members interlocking =withithe posts.

1l. A :luggage 4carrier having end closures transversely of the :running board, and

ing posts land ya double lattice lazy-tong con comprising elements normally extending",

secured to the end posts-fand `)lateral :guide means fory lsecuring such. luggage carrier .tof-

the running board of an automobile,` said elements 'having openings therein, and lon if vcomprising slats and pivotsconnecting the slats of a supporting post thereforv having a running board engaging clamp', 1said post` having a central aperture for engagement" with a pivot of the lazy-tong ,and 'having spaced longitudinally extending slots, ythe lazy-tong having'members slidably mounted in the lslots.

Signed by :me at Boston, Massachusetts,v

this Bristfday of December, 1921,

LOUIS'I. 'B'EGKWIT-H; 

